Sad state of the NHS and politics

[Guest guest]

Surgery delayed to save moneyBy Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor HOSPITALS have been ordered to delay operations and remove patients from waiting lists in order to save money, The Times has learnt. The move comes a day after Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, admitted that the NHS was more than half a billion pounds in the red. A letter seen by The Times reveals that a group of London hospitals has been told by NHS managers to postpone surgery for as long as possible in order to cut the trust’s debt. Other hospitals are telling patients that they are no longer eligible for operations in order to

make savings. Harrow Primary Care Trust, which is facing a deficit of £8-£12 million, has asked the hospitals treating its patients to do “the minimum required” to meet national targets. In the leaked letter, Ken Walton, chairman of the trust’s professional executive committee, tells GPs: “This means patients sent for outpatient appointments will only be seen at 10-13 weeks (national target 13 weeks) and elective surgery will be delayed until the sixth month (national target six months).” It means that the maximum wait of six months promised by the Department of Health will become the minimum. However, the delays will enable the trust to postpone paying for operations, saving it money this financial year. Dr

Walton’s letter also calls on GPs to make fewer emergency referrals and to avoid using the booking centre for the one-stop hernia clinic. Instead, he says, GPs should send referrals directly toRaj Bhutiani, the lead consultant. “Raj has agreed to hold referrals until April 2006 so he can meet the six-month target and not breach the 13-week target,” the letter explains. Yesterday the trust defended its policy. “Harrow PCT is taking action to control its expenditure that will not affect the quality of care given to its patients,” it said in a statement. It had agreed “activity levels” with local hospitals that would ensure national targets were adhered to. “All patients in Harrow will be seen within national targets,” the statement added. The Department of Health declined to comment. “This is an operational issue for the local NHS,” a spokeswoman said, adding: “Investment and reform are working. The waiting list is at a record low.” But Michael

Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said: “It’s not right. Patients are in pain and they need operations. Now they are going to have to wait for the maximum length of time to get them.” Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: “The Government denies deficits are affecting patient care, yet as a direct result of deficits, patients are being pushed to the limit of targets. Delaying treatment will not solve the deficit problem.” Other NHS trusts are saving money by removing patients from waiting lists, a policy condemned yesterday by doctors. Patients who believed that they were waiting for operations are being summoned to see a doctor to be told that under new rules they no longer qualify. Others are having referrals to consultants barred by special committees who are removing patients from waiting lists. Dr Paul Miller, chairman of the British Medical Association’s consultants committee, said the practice was “outrageous”. In

Oxfordshire, letters were sent to 249 hernia patients and 114 varicose vein patients telling them that they may no longer be eligible for operations. The reason given was that the county’s NHS priorities forum had ruled that they no longer “fulfilled clinical criteria”. One patient waiting for a hernia operation in Oxford, Patricia Lloyd, was told she could go private or wait until her hernia got worse and justified emergency admission. Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority is £34 million in debt. In Fulham, southwest London, the local PCT believes that it can save £695,000 by cancelling referrals made by one consultant to another. Again the Department of Health declined to comment. “These issues are local and have nothing to do with central decision-making” a spokeswoman saidPeter H

 

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[Guest guest]

At the risk of being extremely controversial, I think that part of the problem

is that doctors

encourage people to have operations/surgery they do not need. I have heard of 2

people

recently being encouraged to have operations for non life threatening conditions

which

weren't even causing them pain (no, not cancer either). So If I heard of 2, in

my small

social circle, who knows how many others there are?

Then there are the private practice beds in the NHS where people pay to queue

jump for

non essential operations, even cosmetic surgery. This uses up NHS resources

even tho the

doctors are paid privately.

Also there is bed blocking by people who need essential investigations like

xrays,

utrasounds etc. Doctors know that patients will have to wait months for these

investigations so they admit them to a hospital bed, where they know the

investigations,

which of course people do need, will be done within days. The patient, who is

not acutely

ill and does not need to be an " in patient " , will stay in the hospital bed until

the

investigations are all done. This could take a week or more.

Also patients sometimes contract MRSA when in hospital, then they are not

allowed home

and put in an isolation room (which relatives can visit into) until they are

better. This is all

true not hearsay, as I have experienced it firsthand. A while ago I talked to

someone with

MRSA who had gone in for a routine operation and got MRSA and she was still

there 3

months later.

Then there is the otjher issue of people using hospital A & E as a way of seeing a

doctor

without an appointment instead of calling their GP and getting an appointment,

(maybe

because it is so difficult to do the latter).

 

, peter hurd <swpgh01@t...> wrote:

>

> Surgery delayed to save money

> By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

> HOSPITALS have been ordered to delay

operations and remove

patients from waiting lists in order to save money, The Times has learnt. The

move

comes a day after Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, admitted that the NHS

was more

than half a billion pounds in the red. A letter seen by The Times reveals that

a group of

London hospitals has been told by NHS managers to postpone surgery for as long

as

possible in order to cut the trust's debt. Other hospitals are telling patients

that they are

no longer eligible for operations in order to make savings.

NI_MPU('middle');

Harrow Primary Care Trust, which is facing a deficit of £8-£12 million, has

asked the

hospitals treating its patients to do " the minimum required " to meet national

targets. In

the leaked letter, Ken Walton, chairman of the trust's professional executive

committee,

tells GPs: " This means patients sent for outpatient appointments will only be

seen at 10

-13 weeks

> (national target 13 weeks) and elective surgery will be delayed until the

sixth month

(national target six months). " It means that the maximum wait of six months

promised by

the Department of Health will become the minimum. However, the delays will

enable the

trust to postpone paying for operations, saving it money this financial year.

Dr Walton's

letter also calls on GPs to make fewer emergency referrals and to avoid using

the booking

centre for the one-stop hernia clinic. Instead, he says, GPs should send

referrals directly

toRaj Bhutiani, the lead consultant. " Raj has agreed to hold referrals until

April 2006 so he

can meet the six-month target and not breach the 13-week target, " the letter

explains.

Yesterday the trust defended its policy. " Harrow PCT is taking action to control

its

expenditure that will not affect the quality of care given to its patients, " it

said in a

statement. It had agreed " activity levels " with local hospitals that would

ensure national

targets

> were adhered to. " All patients in Harrow will be seen within national

targets, " the

statement added. The Department of Health declined to comment. " This is an

operational

issue for the local NHS, " a spokeswoman said, adding: " Investment and reform are

working. The waiting list is at a record low. " But Michael Summers, chairman

of the

Patients Association, said: " It's not right. Patients are in pain and they need

operations.

Now they are going to have to wait for the maximum length of time to get them. "

Andrew

Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: " The Government denies deficits are

affecting

patient care, yet as a direct result of deficits, patients are being pushed to

the limit of

targets. Delaying treatment will not solve the deficit problem. " Other NHS

trusts are

saving money by removing patients from waiting lists, a policy condemned

yesterday by

doctors. Patients who believed that they were waiting for operations are being

summoned

to see a doctor to be told that

> under new rules they no longer qualify. Others are having referrals to

consultants

barred by special committees who are removing patients from waiting lists. Dr

Paul Miller,

chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants committee, said the

practice was

" outrageous " . In Oxfordshire, letters were sent to 249 hernia patients and 114

varicose

vein patients telling them that they may no longer be eligible for operations.

The reason

given was that the county's NHS priorities forum had ruled that they no longer

" fulfilled

clinical criteria " . One patient waiting for a hernia operation in Oxford,

Patricia Lloyd, was

told she could go private or wait until her hernia got worse and justified

emergency

admission. Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority is £34 million in debt. In

Fulham,

southwest London, the local PCT believes that it can save £695,000 by cancelling

referrals

made by one consultant to another. Again the Department of Health declined to

comment.

" These

> issues are local and have nothing to do with central decision-making " a

spokeswoman

said

>

>

>

> Peter H

>

>

>

>

> To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new

Security

Centre.

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